The House I Grew Up In: Tigerlilly Quinn

October 23, 2014

Leading home interior blogger Tigerlilly Quinn guides us through the memories she’s created in her home.

As you grow up, so your home grows with you. In this new series, the UK’s leading home interior writers and bloggers guide us through their homes and take us through the areas and objects that have created those memories that makes your home a part of you.

In our first piece, we hear from Fritha Strickland who writes about homes interiors and lifestyle at tigerlillyquinn.com, as well as running an online boutique of the same name. Click on the picture gallery to see Fritha take us on a journey through her Bristol home, while below she tells us the history of her home and how her memories have accumulated over the years.

Photo gallery: Our living room

"Our living room is now our favourite room in the house - we did it all ourselves."

Fritha’s story: How her house grew up with her

“Around four years ago myself and my now husband bought a run-down house in Bristol. With little more than some savings in the bank, a few good friends with DIY skills, and lots of cups of tea – we decided to do it up. Add to the mix a now almost three-year-old named Wilf and two very fat cats, we are constantly working on and adding to our dream home. It has been, and continues to be, a labour of love.

“We bought pretty much a wreck of a house. It was quite a testing few months getting it into a semi-livable state but I think it means even more to us now that we’ve worked so hard on it.

“The front room literally had no floor so we needed to lay concrete and floorboards and also plaster the walls. We had a limited budget and so we lived upstairs while we were doing it. It was worth it though – our living room is now our favourite room in the house! I think the fact we did it all ourselves (with help of great friends!) and sought out unique second hand items makes our home what it is.

“After we made the house ‘liveable’ we had exhausted ourselves and our budget so it was a few years before we did any further renovations. We decided to rip out and re-do our kitchen when I was 38 weeks pregnant (when I say we I mean my partner and his friend. I watched and ate cake, yay pregnancy!). I gave birth a week later so it was just in the nick of time! I love that all of these renovations hold special memories for us that we can reminisce and laugh about. The living room we spent so much work on was the room our son was born in!

“I spent a lot of time in our house, I work from home so my work station is the dining room table and my son plays around me with his toys. It’s also the most colourful, packed with bits and bobs that reflect our personality. It’s certainly my favourite room of the house as I feel it’s the one we’ve worked hardest on and put most of our stamp on. We love our home full of memories!”